Top 10 Movie Cars of All Time

When a vehicle eclipses the flesh-and-bone actors and becomes the superstar of a film—that's when it's a great movie car. There are dozens of memorable cars in film, but to crack the top 10, a vehicle must influence a generation, inspire car culture, and become the stuff of every kid's dreams. These are our favorites, in no particular order.

1964 Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger

1964 Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger

James Bond's legacy of famous cars and far-out gadgets can be traced back from one car—the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 007 driven in Goldfinger and Thunderball. Without any Bond spy modifications, the Aston Martin DB5 is a work of art. But it's the special effects that have made this car quite possibly the most beloved movie car of all time. The long list of cool tricks included ram bumper, machine guns, ejector seat, smoke screen, oil-slick sprayer and more. Looking back on the Aston from today's perspective, the most interesting feature may be the map screen in Bond's car, which foreshadowed today's navigation systems.

So just how influential and significant is the original Bond car? One of the few Astons used in those movies sold last year for a whopping $4.6 million.

1976 Lotus Esprit Series I, The Spy Who Loved Me

1976 Lotus Esprit Series I, The Spy Who Loved Me

One more Bond car, because it's a classic.

By the 1970s the voluptuous shapes of sports cars from the 1950s and1960s gave way to distinctive and futuristic wedge designs. Pointy cars like the Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Countach changed the automotive landscape. But neither one of them were ever driven by James Bond.

In The Spy Who Loved Me, the secret agent drove the white Series I Lotus Esprit hard. Yet the moment that sticks in everyone's mind is when the car transforms into a submarine after Bond jumps the car into the water. The Lotus sprouts stabilizer fins and props, and later, it drives up onto the beach as it morphs back into a car—with beachgoers staring slack-jawed.